Earl Fuller: The Broadway Jazz King

Exploring the Genius of Earl Fuller:

Earl Fuller was a titan of the early music world—a talented trap drummer, innovative bandleader, and radio pioneer who helped define the sounds of jazz, Broadway, and modern media.

Leaving his quiet life in Stonington, Illinois, Fuller sought the electric energy of Manhattan's premier nightlife. As the musical director for legendary hotspots like Rector’s Cafe, he played a crucial role in introducing syncopated rhythms to high society during the transformative 1910s. The ensembles he led served as a training ground for virtuosos who would eventually reshape the very essence of American music.

In 1917, Earl Fuller's Famous Jazz Band became one of the earliest groups to make commercial recordings marketed under the term "jazz", following the Original Dixieland Jazz Band. His recordings for Victor helped popularize the term during the early years of America's jazz craze. Fuller also helped introduce the saxophone to Broadway, contributing to the instrument's growing popularity in American music.

Following a decade of successful national tours in the 1920s, Fuller relocated to Cincinnati just as the radio era was beginning to bloom. As the general manager of WFBE, his forward-thinking leadership and original programming significantly influenced the expansion of broadcasting across the Midwest.

In his later years, he established deep roots in Morrow, Ohio, where he flourished as a savvy businessman, real estate developer, and committed community leader.

Though his name might not be a household word today, Earl Fuller’s impact on syncopation, stagecraft, and the birth of radio remains a fundamental and lasting cornerstone of our artistic history.

This extraordinary journey is finally brought to light in the definitive new biography, Earl Fuller: The Broadway Jazz King, written by Greg Robinson and published by Roaming Pig Press.